The invention is directed to improvements in a flow rate meter having a housing, a measuring body disposed in a flow conduit and pivotable counter to a restoring force about a bearing shaft supported in the housing in accordance with the quantity of the medium flowing therethrough and a damping body, which is likewise pivotable about the bearing shaft so as to define a damping chamber, in the form of a movable wall, with respect to the flow conduit. Such flow rate meters are intended in particular for measuring the quantity of air aspirated via an air intake tube by an internal combustion engine. A flow rate meter of the foregoing general type is already known in which, because of the leakage gap between the hub and the housing wall, a small portion of the medium to be measured flows into the damping chamber and there causes an increase in pressure. This pressure increase at the damping body effects a moment in the closing direction of the measuring body; as a result, the measuring body is deflected only above a certain flow rate of the medium within the flow conduit, thus affecting a measurement of the flow rate. When the known flow rate meter is used to measure the quantity of air aspirated by an internal combustion engine via an air intake tube, the following problem arises: At the low idling rpm level which is presently desired and at the extremely low idling air quantities associated with this rpm level, the known flow rate meter is capable of making only an incorrect measurement, if at all, of these low idling air quantities. On the other hand, it is also disadvantageous that the leakage gap becomes obstructed as a result of soiling such that the characteristic curve of the flow rate meter changes during the course of operation.